YOU know the name of Rangers is reverberating around the world when Jurgen Klinsmann spends more time talking about the Ibrox club than his own team’s friendly with Scotland tonight.

YOU know the name of Rangers is reverberating around the world when Jurgen Klinsmann spends more time talking about the Ibrox club than his own team’s friendly with Scotland tonight.

Then again, the former German superstar does have a vested interest in the financial woes of the stricken Glasgow giants.

USA coach Klinsmann needs his captain, Carlos Bocanegra, and midfielder Maurice Edu to be in a good frame of mind for the start of their country’s World Cup qualifying campaign at the start of next month.

But when they don’t know if they have a future at Rangers the uncertainty can take its toll.

Klinsmann has concerns about that but being a football man he is also worried a club as well known as Rangers could be lost to the game.

He has discussed the situation with Bocanegra and Edu and while he is content in the belief they will be able to shunt their club issues to one side when on international duty he accepts the situation is not ideal.

Klinsmann told Record Sport: “We talk constantly to Mo and Carlos about the Rangers situation because it’s worrying for them.

“I have spent time on the phone with them discussing it and hopefully a solution for the problems can be found because Rangers is such a huge club with such a great tradition. They can’t be allowed to disappear from the game.

“I hope it can be resolved as soon as possible but from our side it is important that whenever Mo and Carlos switch over and come into our environment, they concentrate on their jobs here. I offer them advice. That is one of your roles as national team coach.

“All the players have different issues so you have to be able to help as best as you can. But the players are all responsible people and when they go back to their clubs they have to make their own decisions.”

One of those decisions was to agree to take 75 per cent wage cuts that enabled Rangers to survive until the end of the season.

Klinsmann is aware of the sacrifice the Ibrox squad made and has nothing but admiration for them.

He added: “What they have done is not something that should be taken for granted. It’s a positive and good thing that they have done.

“It shows the players understand their roles and the biggest thing is the club and not the individual. They understand that role and that is good to see.”

The 47-year-old World Cup winner is concerned about the Rangers situation but is not worried about the fact two of his most important players are plying their trade in Scotland.

He admits, though, he would like them to be playing in European competition and that isn’t going to happen next season, for sure, and for the next two years if a newco Rangers emerges from the financial carnage.

Klinsmann said: “It doesn’t concern me that they are playing in Scotland.

“They are playing at the highest level with a massive club. There have been discussions about the quality of the Scottish league for decades and there has been talk of Scottish clubs joining the English leagues then fighting their way through that system.

“But if that were to happen Celtic and Rangers would be strong enough to go straight into the English Premier League, while the other Scottish clubs would probably have to fight their way through the lower leagues to the Championship and stuff like that.

“It is up to the Scottish FA and the Scottish league about what they do but from my point of view I don’t see any difference whether Carlos and Mo play in the English Premier League or in Scotland.

“But it is our goal to have all our players playing at the highest level possible so we’d like as many as possible playing in Europe.

“Obviously, it would be great if they could also play with their clubs in the Champions League or the Europa League.

“As a national team coach we would like our guys to be playing in these competitions but if Rangers are not in European competition the players will have to fight their way through their national championship.

“We will live with that but the better competition they have the better for the national team programme so we are hopeful they can play in Europe.”

Turning to tonight’s game in Jacksonville, the German smiles at the news more than 40,000 tickets have been sold.

It will be the biggest crowd the USA have attracted to a match in Florida but Klinsmann knows it isn’t only their countrymen the spectators will be coming to see.

He said: “The ticket sales for the Scotland game are special – there must be a lot of Scottish people going! It’s an important game for us because now it is getting serious.

“We have two World Cup qualifying matches coming up but before them we have the games against Scotland, Brazil and Canada. We have chosen different opponents with different styles.

“My team have a lot of respect for Scottish football. We know we will have to fight for space to play and we want to challenge our players to find solutions to problems they will face.

“Hopefully we will create chances and score goals.”

Klinsmann has seen enough of Scottish football to know his players will get a big examination.

He added: “You can watch the SPL, the English leagues, South American football – everything.

“If you want to spend your weekend sitting in front of the TV watching football you can do it.”

Tonight 40,000 will climb off their couches and see it for themselves. Klinsmann’s missionary work in the USA is paying off.